Brooder house



. 1943. L. L. STROBEL 2,335,703

BROODER HOUSE Filed Sept. 4, 1942 II I 56 "ll" 1 Z I v 3 Sheets-Sheet l mi '42 5 J2 Nov. 30, 1943. L. STROBEL 2,335,708

BROODER HOUSE I Filed Sept. 4, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ll aarnez s.

NOV. 30, 1943. |m STROBEL 7 2,335,708

BROODER HOUSE Filed Sept. 4, 1942 s Sheets-Sheet s 0. 6 4&llm

JMHIHT UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BROODER HOUSE Lester Laverne Strobel, Huntington, Ind.

Application September 4, 1942, Serial No. 457,251

3 Claims. (Cl. 20-2) The present invention relates to broader. houses and is concerned principally with the provision of a novel brooder house admirably adapted to the purpose of rearing small chickens and other fowl.

Brooder houses of the general type to which the present invention relates are comparatively small buildings usually having but a single room in which chickens or other fowl are kept for a. considerable period after they are hatched to protect them from the weather and predatory animals. Such houses usually have provision for heating in cold weather and should preferably be well ventilated.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a house having the above characteristics and which in addition may be substantially completely opened during mild weather.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel brooder house so arranged that the roof may be completely opened in mild weather.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a brooder house with novel mechanism for removing the roof from the top of the house and placing the roof to one side of the structure.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a brooder house having a novel ventilating arrangement.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a brooder house having novel constructional features which insure sturdy construction, low cost, admirable adaptation to its purposes, and which facilitate use of the device.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a brooder house having the above characteristics and which can be prefabricated and shipped to the place of use in a knocked down condition, and which requires no particular skill or special tools to erect.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, in which similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a brooder house embodying the present invention shown with the roof and door closed;

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view showing the brooder house with the door and roof open;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the interior of the brooder house looking from front to back.

In this view the roof is shown in its closed position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the roof in open position;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional viewthrough the roof ventilator. This view may be considered as taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a detail front elevation of the upper portion of the brooder house showing the relationship between the roof and the remaining portion of the house when the roof is in closed position;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the roof in partially open position;

Fig. 8 is a fractional horizontal sectional view which may be considered as taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 6, looking downwardly as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 9 is a fractional vertical sectional view of one edge of the roof and the adjacent portion of the house showing the track arrangement for guiding the roof during its transverse movement;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of a portion of the edge of the roof, the adjacent portion of the track being shown in transverse section. This view may be considered as taken in the direction of the arrows along the line |0-I0 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a fractional sectional view of a detail of the house construction and may be considered as taken in the direction of the arrows along the line ll-H of Fig. 3;

Fig. 12 is a horizontal sectional view of a detail of the house construction and may be considered as taken substantially along the line I2|2 of Fig. 2, looking downwardly as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the house is erected upon a rectangular floor 20, the floor being supported above the surface of the ground upon rails 22 which can be secured to the floor and may be considered as portions of the floor element.

At each end, upstanding end walls are erected. These walls are essentially similar, excepting that the front wall 24 is provided with a large door 26 and a small door 28, the small door being arranged to one side and being of such a size that chickens can enter and leave the house therethrough. The rear wall, indicated by the numeral 30, is not provided with the doors 26 and 28, but has an opening 32 in its upper portion to permit the passage of a stove pipe of a heating stove intended to be located within the house. These end walls are secured to the floor and are joined at their edges by inwardly sloping side walls 34. One of these side walls provides a substantially uninterrupted surface, while the other includes a dormer 38, which frames windows 40. The four walls end at their upper edges in a common horizontal plane and are surmounted by a roof 42.

The above several elements can be prefabricated so that the floor, the four walls and the roof are shipped as separate elements to be 'erected upon the site, or if desired, the floor, roof and walls can be prefabricated with the doors, dormer. windows and roof ventilator 44 supplied as separate units to be attached at the site. In any event, I prefer that the walls be constructed of plywood panels secured to a suitable inner framework 46. This gives a strong easily fabricated structure that is light in weight. The upper surface of the roof is curved and this may be formed by bending a sheet of plywood over transversely extending members 46 having curved upper edges.

The main door 26 may be of any suitable construction. The one shown is comprised of a simple frame-work covered with a plywood panel. It is hung at one edge upon hinges 48, while its other edge is equipped with a latch or look 50 for securing the door in closed position. The small door 28 consists of a plywood panel vertically slidable in guideways 52, located interiorly of the house. This construction is best shown in Fig. 12. In order to prevent rain from entering the house through the small door 28, the upper portion of the doorway is fitted with a sheet metal awning 54.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the dormer 38 is formed of plywood fastened to inner bracing members, while the windows 40 rest upon the lower sills and are guided at their edges in sheet metal V-shaped guide members 56. One of these guide members 56 is located at each edge of each of the windows and extends rearwardly in a ver tical plane and has its inner edge bent transversely to serve as a stop 58 against which the window can rest when opened. The windows are held in closed position by means of rotatable cleats 60. This window mounting is extremely simple and permits the upper edges of the windows to be tilted inwardly against the stops 58. The windows can be completely removed when desired by first opening them and by then lifting them upwardly through cut-out portions 62 at the upper corners of the sheet metal guide members 58.

At the rearward corner of the house a generally rectangular air inlet ventilator opening 64 is cut through the floor and this opening is covered by a screen 66 (Fig. 11) to prevent drafty conditions near the floor, and also to prevent chickens from standing in the draft directly over the screen 66. The opening 64 is enclosed within an open topped box 58 mortised to fit the several structural members adjacent the floor. Thus air entering the brooder house through the opening 66 passes upwardly out of the top of the box 68 and finds: its way into the interior of the brooder house in a position above the heads of any small chickens housed within the structure.

The house is heated by any suitable brooder type stove, the chimney of which passes through the opening 32 in the rearward Wall.

The roof ventilator comprises a rectangular roof opening covered by a screen 12. Beneath this screen a slide I4 longitudinally movable in guideways I6 may be moved into any desired position to control the rate of flow of air through the roof opening. Or if desired, it may be used to close the opening completely.

The opening I0 is enclosed within an upwardly projecting rectangular sheet metal stack I8 covered by a V-shaped roof 80. The edges of the V-shaped roof all the way around are bent downwardly to provide a flange 82 which prevents wind from blowing directly into the ventilator and which further aids in stiffening the structure. The end edges of the stack I8, near its top, may be spot welded or otherwise secured directly to the roof end flanges 82. The side edges of the stack rise straight upwardly to the lower edge of the flange 82 and then are inclined downwardly and outwardly parallel to the the ventilator roof for a considerable distance so that they form baflles 84 which aid in controlling the flow of air around the ventilator in such a manner that the ventilator provides good ventilation throughout a wide range of wind and weather conditions without subjecting the small chickens to rain or drafts.

The upper wall extremities oi. the structure have a finished edge over which the roof 42 rests. That is, the roof rests in telescoping relation with the generally vertical walls so as to provide a draft-proof Joint. The roof is constructed as an integral unit and is comprised of longitudinally extending side members 88 connected at their ends to transversely extending end pieces 88. These end pieces have curved upper edges which shape a plywood roof panel 90 to the desired curvature. At intermediate points this roof panel is additionally braced and stiffened by the previously mentioned transversely extending members 46.

Within the house a beam 86 extends transversely between the upper edges of the side panels 34 and braces the structure. This beam is located approximately midway between the end panels 24 and has its upper edge substantially flush with the upper edge of the side panels 34. The central one of the transversely extending members 46 which brace the roof is located above the beam in a position slightly to one side thereof so that the lower edge of this member 48 projects beyond one of the side faces of the beam 98, thus providing a surface 98 against which one end of a camming lever I00 presses when the opposite end I02 is pulled downwardly, the lever being pivoted at an intermediate point about a bolt I04 passed through the lever and through the beam 96. As will be explained more fully presently, the camming lever I00 is used to lift one edge of the roof during the operation of moving the roof to one side of the house.

A track I 08 which may be formed from a piece of angle iron is secured to the upper edge of the beam 98 and extends from the end of this beam adjacent the camming lever I00 to a position somewhat beyond the center of this beam. The track may best be seen in Figs. 4, 9 and 10. In line with this track the edge of the roof adjacent the camming lever I00 has a downwardly extending track engaging member I08. The track engaging member is formed of a piece of steel strap secured by screws or bolts to the side member 86 in a vertical position. The lower end of this strap projects downwardly beyond the lower edge of the roof and at its lower end is provided with a notch H0 adapted to engage the track I06 when the adjacent edge of the roof is lifted by the camming lever I00 and the roof is then moved ture. I

A portion oftlie lower edge of each of the roof end members 88 is covered with a piece of steel strap I I2 attached thereto by countersunk screws.

The two ends oreach of these straps are bent downwardly and then inwardly as may best be seen in Figs. 6 and '7, so as to form loops II4 near the center of the roof and other loops II6 near the edge of the roof opposite the track engaging member I08.

I When the roof is in closed position, as shown in Fig. 6, the end loops I I6 engage a pair of pins II8 projecting outwardly from opposite ends of the house, thus securing this edge of the roof against its being raised from the outside. The pins are secured to the end walls 24 adjacent their upper edges in such a position that the straps II2 rest against the upper edges of these pins as the roof moves transversely. The straps, therefore, act as tracks upon which the roof slides. The loops I I4 are adjacent the central point of the roof and engage the pins I I8 when the roof is moved transversely to the open position. The pins II8 are secured in side plates I20 and these side plates are in turn bolted to the brooder house end panels 24.

The above construction, it will be seen, provides a set of three tracks, that is, the two end tracks H2 and the central track I06, upon which the roof can slide in moving transversely, while the loops I I4 engage the pins I I 8 when the roof is slid to the open position, thus providing a hinge connection about which the roof can be tilted into a position along the rear wall of the house. The position of the roof when thus tilted is shown in Fig. 2. When the roof is in closed position, it may be secured to prevent unauthorized opening from the outside by means of one or more conventional hook and screw eye combinations I22 located within the structure, and extending between the upper portion of the front side wall and one of the cross members 46. The hook and screw eye locking detail is best shown in Fig. 3.

After the roof has been slid toward closed position until the track engaging member-I08 slides off the end of the track I06, it may drop into closed position or it may stick slightly and need to be pulled downwardly. For this reason, and for another reason that will appear presently, a handle I24 is secured to one of the transversely extending members 46 in a position adjacent the camming lever I00. By grasping the handle I24, the operator can pull the edge of the roof to which it is connected downwardly whenever it appears to be necessary. I

The apparatus for moving the roof from side to side comprises a lever I26 pivoted to a bracket I28 secured to the upper portion of the sidewall 34 opposite the camming lever I at approxi mately its central point. This lever I26 extends transversely of the structure and is free to pivot upwardly and downwardly. At its opposite end, it is shaped to provide a handle portion I 30 located adjacent the similar handle portion I02 of the camming lever I00. At a point approximately one-third of the distance from the center of the roof to the bracket I28, the lever I20 is pivoted by a pin or bolt I32 to a second lever I34. This second lever extends transversely and slight- 'ly upwardly and has its opposite end pivoted to a bolt I36 passed through the central transversely extending bracing member 46 in a position above the camming lever I00. In the above description of the roof operating toggle mechanism, the relaslightly toward the opposite side of the structive location or the elements is given as it exls when the roof is in closed position.

To move the root from closed to open positlon, assuming that the hook is detached from the eye in the hook and eye combination I22, the handle I02 of the camming lever I00 is moved downwardly. This raises the edge of the roof into a position with the notch H0 in the lower edge of the strap I08 in a position slightly above the track I06. The-handle I30 is then pulled downwardly. This downward movement of the handle I30 moves the lever I34 toward the right as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, thus moving the roof toward the right. After the roof is moved a slight distance, the notch IIO will be in align-- ment with the track I08. The handle I02 of the camming lever I00 therefore can be released to lower the notch into engagement with this track.

Further downward movement of the handle I30 will cause the roof to be moved farther toward the right until the loops H4 in the straps II2 are in engagement with the pins II8. At this point the roof will be approximately balanced about the pins II8 since these pins are approximately centrally located with respect to the roof when the loops II4 are in engagement with these pins. Therefore gradual upward movement of the handle I30 will cause the roof to be tilted into the position shown in Fig. 2. That is, either the roof will tilt, because it is beyond center and the force of gravity acting thereon will cause the outer end to overbalance the inner end, or if the opposite is true and the roof is slightly stable when the loops II4 are against the pins II8, slight upward pressure on the handle I30 will serve to overbaiance the roof and cause it to swing into the inclined position where it will remain.

To close the roof the handle I30 is pulled downwardly so as to tilt the roof into a generally horizontal position with the notch IIO engaging the track I08. With the roof in this position, the handle I24 is grasped by the operator. The operator then pushes upwardly on the handle I30 while holding downwardly on the handle I24, since upward movement of the handle I30 no longer can tilt the roof into the inclined position, it being held against tilting by the opera tor grasping the handle I24. The roof is caused to slide back toward closed position until the loops II6 engage the pins II8, whereupon the roof will drop into place, or if necessary, a slight downward pull upon the handle I24 will cause the roof to be seated in telescoping engagement with the side and end walls of the house.

It will be seen that a brooder house or similar structure embodying the present invention is admirably adapted for the rearing of small fowl inasmuch as the ventilating system permits the structure to be closed and heated in bad weather, while still permitting the circulation of fresh air from the ground level upwardly to the roof, the air entering the device in a position above the heads of the chickens or other fowl so as not to subject the fowl to chilling drafts.

Further the degree of circulation can be regulated by the sliding damper in the roof ventilator. Also gusty weather conditions will not substantially affect the air circulation inasmuch as the roof ventilator is so formed that wind blowing past the ventilator will not cause either pressure or heavy suction conditions within the ventilator stack.

It will be seen further that in mild weather, or when the fowl are older, the brooder house can be opened by sliding the roof to one side and tilting it into a position parallel to the side walljthus completely opening the roof of the structure. It also will be appreciated that the mechanism provided for this purpose enables the roof to be eitherlopened or closed quickly and with little effort.

Further the roof opens without there being any joint in the central portion thereof which might leak. That is, the roof is formed as an integral solid unit, and therefore can be easily weatherproofed without the necessity for weather stripping or other complicated Joint sealing arrangements.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and variations may be made without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. I therefore desire, by th followin claims, to include within the scope of the invention all such modifications and variations by which substantially the results thereof may be obtained by substantially the same or equivalent means.

I claim:

1. A brooder house comprising upright panels forming a substantially rectangular structure, a separate substantially one piece roof surmounting said structure and fitted in telescoping relation to said structure, means for lifting one edge of said roof into a position above the upper edge of the contiguous panel, and means operative when said roof edge is in raised position for moving said roof in a generally horizontal direction toward the opposite wall of said structure and for tilting said roof into a position generally parallel to said opposite wall, said lastnamed means comprising a lever pivoted to said opposite'wall anda link pivoted to said lever and a part of said roof adjacent said edge.

2. A brooderhouse comprising upright panels forming a substantially rectangular structure, a

separate substantially one-piece roof surmounting said structure and fitted in telescoping relation thereto, track means arranged at two opposite ends of said structure for supporting saidroof to permit horizontal movement of said roof relative to said structure, track means arranged within said structure, a track-following element attached to said root and adapted to engage the last said track and to support and guide an edge of said roof in a position above said structure after the said edge of said roof has been slightly elevated and the roof has been moved slightly to one side, the last said track being arranged generally parallel to the first said tracks.

3. A prefabricated brooder house comprised of a floor portion, four wall panels adapted to be erected upon said fioorportion, said wall panels being formed of sheets of plywood stiifened by interior bracing members secured thereto, said wall panels when in'assembled relationship being mutually self-supporting, a one piece prefabricated roof having downwardly extending flanges at the edges thereof adapted to fit in telescoping relation with the upper edges of said panels,

means to move said roof to one side and to tilt said roof from a horizontal position, a pin attached to each end 'panel, and a track attached to each end of said roof and slidable on one of said pins, said tracks having hooks at opposite ends thereof to limit sliding movement of said roof and to hold said roof in open or closed position.

LESTER 'LAVERNE STROBEL. 

